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Rating: "Gardens of the Moon" is the first novel in the series "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" written by Canadian anthropologist archaeologist Steven Erickson. The saga originated in the early 80s as a role-playing game but after several vicissitudes and a stellar contract with the English publishing house Bantam UK, it released this novel in 1999. After 5 years, the Italian publishing house Armenia brought this work to Italy, doing so with all the premises to fail, presenting it with a scandalously ugly cover and translating the name of the entire saga incorrectly. In fact, in the original language, the series is called "the Malazan Book of the Fallen," which would have been fittingly translated as "the Malazan Book of the Fallen" and not "the Fall of Malazan." But since the garment does not make the monk, let's say that even if the exterior of the book presents in a graphic guise comparable to "Cioè," we can say that inside, the novel is something that would make every fantasy lover cry out for a miracle.
The novel is a High Fantasy, which is that branch of the genre that uncompromisingly creates a completely original world, which is very risky because it is easy to fall into the usual clichés. Erickson creates a totally new world that deviates from everything Tolkien and then D&D have narrated. Indeed, here we will not find elves, dwarves, orcs, gnomes, but rather all new races such as the Tiste Andii, the T'lan Imass, and these are just 2 of the many creatures created by the brilliant Canadian, all described in a maniacal manner, so precise and realistic. Perhaps his historical, archaeological, and anthropological vein helped him in all this. The plot unfolds in about 700 pages divided into 4 main events. The first talks directly about the general uprising created in the capital after the emperor's assassination. The second part takes place several years after the emperor’s assassination on an island where the Malazan inhabitants and army are massacred by two mysterious figures except for a young woman who disappears, and then moves on to the final two acts that discuss the Malazan military campaigns against the free cities adjacent to the empire.
The great problem of this book lies in the first 200 pages because the author makes us aware of events and facts unknown to us, leaving us lost and intimidated by the somewhat elitist prose. But if one has the courage to proceed, we will find in our hands a masterpiece where all the plots are resolved with memorable twists, everything written and described in a hyper-realistic manner. Noteworthy is how the author describes the relationships and behaviors of the company "Bridgeburners," and perhaps the only thing to grit your teeth about are the romantic relationships, not perfectly described. What else to say? READ IT; at worst, you’ll have a novel with a head and a tail in your hands.
In my humble opinion, this saga, even if accompanied by terrible covers, is one of the best I have ever read. It made me daydream and live a thousand adventures, and that’s not a little.
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